Love Lost
by Misaki234
Summary: When Hermione is constantly bugged by her immature friends she seeks refuge in the library, only to be joined by Sirius Black. Once there they soon realise they have far more in common than they first thought...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Don't own it. Never will :(

Okay, this is a 3-shot. Little plot bunny that jumped into my brain. Anyway, please review! These guys are my alltime favourite couple!

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Hermione plonked herself down on the red loveseat in the library and opened her favourite book. Her favourite book, of course, was _Hogwarts: A History _but the library was not the one at school, nor the one at home. Instead, it was the library of the elusive Sirius Black, and she was there for Christmas, along with Harry and the Weasleys.

She had barely got stuck into the first page when a stampede outside the door occurred. Loud voices accompanied them, and within three seconds (which Hermione counted down) four boys and one girl tumbled into the room. Hermione decided not to look up from her book just yet, hoping to fit in a few more sentences before they demanded her attention.

"Hermione!"

No such luck there. She picked up her personalised bookmark, placed it on the page (even though it was the first page - it was habit) and closed the book, all without sighing. It was when she let her brown eyes land on the heap of limbs that the sound crossed her lips.

"What's happened this time?" She asked.

"Well, he's put..."

"She's lost it..."

"Crazy..."

Hermione opened her book again and read those sentences she wanted to. It took an impressive twenty seconds of them ranting before they realised she wasn't paying attention to them and they were silent.

"First of all, get up from the floor," Hermione said, her eyes still on the page.

She saw them obeyed her out of the corner of her eye. They arranged themselves in a somewhat orderly fashion and she put down the book to look at the red-haired girl.

"What's happened, Ginny?" Hermione enquired.

"They put red dye in my shampoo!" She cried, brandishing the offending bottle in front of her as proof.

"Ginny, your hair is red any way," Hermione stated. "Why is it such a big deal?"

"I liked my natural hair colour!" Ginny shrieked. "And they're still testing on me!"

"Is this true?" Hermione asked the boys in her politest tone, trying desperately hard to not lose her temper.

"Well...um..."

"Is this true?" Hermione repeated, her voice getting louder.

"Yes," Fred admitted. "We didn't think she'd notice."

A cackle of mirth came from Ginny as she attempted to launch herself as Fred so she could get her fingers around his neck. Thankfully, Harry jumped in the middle of them so it was his neck that suffered.

"Ginny Weasley!" Hermione shouted. "Stop that at once." A guilty look crossed Ginny's face as she removed her hands from Harry's neck and took her position in line. Hermione lowered her voice again. "Now, when I am in the library, you only disturb me if it's something important. This is not important!"

"What am I going to do about my hair?" Ginny whined.

"Go and talk to your mother about it, I'm pretty sure she'll be able to sort it out, I mean, she is a witch," Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Boys, if you pull another prank on anyone in this household, I will make you regret it. Rest assured. Now, go away and leave me alone."

The twins held the door open for Ginny, and ushered their little brother through before running out the door and slamming it in Harry's face. Harry turned, stunned, and looked at Hermione, who just shrugged her shoulders. A minute or so later, Harry managed to remember how to open the door and he closed it softly behind him.

However, as she reached the third page, footfalls fell on the landing.

"I thought I asked you to leave me alone?" She snapped.

"Oh, sorry, I'll come back later," A familiar, yet extremely masculine sounding voice made her jump in shock.

"I thought you were them lot again," Hermione scowled as she looked up at Sirius. "They're so infuriating."

"I know," Sirius ran his hand through his shaggy mane of hair. "That's why I thought I'd come up here. I know they're not stupid enough to bother you again and I didn't think you'd mind me sitting in here quietly."

"No, not at all," Hermione went to gesture to a spare chair when she realised she was lounging on the only one. "Sorry, do you want to sit next to me?"

"I'm just going to get a book first," Sirius said, disappearing between the vast bookshelves.

Hermione buried herself back into her book, a smile gracing her face as she read the already memorised words. When she opened her books she was no longer Hermione Granger, geek extraordinaire, with bushy hair and a nose slightly too big for her face. No, she could be whoever she wanted to be, depending on her mood. Did she want to be an evil mastermind? A damsel in distress? Doomed in love?

She sighed and closed her book, leaning back on the loveseat as she shut her eyes in thought. It's not as if she needed a book to be doomed in love. She was intimidating, her vast knowledge of nearly everything scared off potential dates. She never had love letters slipped to her in class like Parvati Patil did, she never had a romantic picnic set out for her with a dream guy like Lavender Brown had, and she didn't have a different boyfriend every week like Ginny.

Ginny was a year younger than her and since her disastrous first year, she'd been out with no less than four guys. Four! Hermione had yet to have her first boyfriend, something she was well aware of as her dorm roommates whispered in the night about their fantastic love lives and commented on her lack of one when they thought she was asleep.

She was jolted out of her downward spiral of self pity by a sudden dip next to her. She opened her eyes to see Sirius sat next to her, his nose in a book. Hermione picked up her book and began reading it again, every-so-often her eyes diverting to the man next to her.

"What are you reading?" She asked eventually.

"My Sweet Audrina," he said.

"You're kidding!" She exclaimed. "I love that book!"

"I know, that's why I'm reading it," Sirius replied, an amused tone to his voice. "You keep going on about how great it is, so I thought I'd read it so I could see if it really is as good as you say it is."

"How far are you?" She quizzed, a blush creeping over her face as she remembered a part of the book, thankfully near to the end.

"She's just met Arden," He answered, looking up at her with his dark brown eyes. "In the woods?"

"The first time? Where she won't come out from behind the tree?"

"Yeah."

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but she soon shut it when she realised she couldn't think of anything. The blush still tinged her cheeks as she tried to read her book, but it was when she read the same sentence over and over that she snorted and put her book down. Sirius glanced at her but she was staring straight ahead.

"Hermione!" Mrs Weasley's dulcet tones swept up the stairs to her from the kitchen.

Hermione groaned and unfolded her legs from under her as she stretched out from her position. She put her book down on the loveseat.

"Anything you want?" She asked Sirius.

"Yeah, please, glass of water," He said.

Hermione ran down the stairs, taking small, fast steps as she hurried down, determined to avoid Mrs Weasley's inquisition. She reached the kitchen in record time and smiled at the motherly figure who was standing patiently.

"Hello, sweetheart, I don't suppose you know where Sirius is, do you?"

"He's in the library," Hermione replied. "Apparently he doesn't want to be disturbed."

"Oh, well, fine then," Mrs Weasley let out an exasperated sigh. "Now, what do you want for tea?"

"Um..." Hermione thought for a second. "Can I just have some porridge?"

"Certainly, dear, anything else?"

"That's it, thank you," Hermione replied as she went over to the sink and fill up a glass with water.

As she left the room she returned Mrs Weasley's smile and felt a rush of affection for the mother of seven. She took into account that Hermione was extremely picky about her food, especially now that she was determined to lose that puppy fat that plagued her and had taken to eating healthy things at irregular times. It also helped that she was no longer hungry.

She remembered when she went to the Burrow over the summer holidays and declared she wasn't hungry at dinner time. She wasn't quite sure what possessed her to think she could get away with no eating under Mrs Weasley's eye after spending her time at home where her parents hardly ever were. Still, Mrs Weasley accommodated her with not putting so much on her plate, but making sure she ate every mealtime.

She finally entered the library, and Sirius was still sat down reading the book. She placed the glass next to him and received a half-hearted 'thank you', before she resumed her seat next to him and dove back into her favourite pastime. But she still couldn't get into it.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" She cursed, flinging her book down.

"Did I really just hear Hermione Granger swear?" Sirius asked in surprise.

"Look, I am like every other girl on the planet, okay? I do swear, I like to hang out with my friends and I like to spend time on my appearance in the morning to make myself look half-way presentable to everyone else. Not like they notice," Hermione snapped, spilling all her anxiety forth.

"I had noticed actually," Sirius corrected her. "Now, what's wrong?"

"I don't know, I just can't relax," Hermione sighed.

Sirius eyed her for a moment, his eyebrow raised.

"Turn around," he motioned.

"What?"

"Turn around with your back to me."

Hermione caught the serious look in his eye and turned her back to him, feeling that if she did he would forcefully make her do it. She felt his firm touch on her back and went to ask him what he was doing before his fingers dug into her shoulder blades. She groaned out loud as he began to work hard on the kinks in her muscles she didn't even know she had and once he had finished with her shoulder blades he began to slowly work his way down her spine.

"You know, this would be a lot easier if you were on my bed," Sirius commented.

In a flash, Hermione was off the loveseat, her arms crossed over her chest as she looked accusingly at him. Sirius was so caught off guard by her sudden movement that his hands were still in front of him, but when he realised his mistake he dropped them.

"Silly girl," he laughed. "I meant because then you'd be laying down and stretched out so it would work better."

Hermione blushed deep red and buried her head in her hands. Her cheeks were boiling hot to the touch and she stammered out an apology and hurried out of the library. She ended up in her bedroom, knowing that no one ever willingly goes in there.

Hermione sat on her bed before laying down, her head connecting with her pillow with a soft thump. As much as she willed it to, her mind wouldn't stop replaying his words to her '_this would be a lot easier if you were on my bed_'. For a second there she had been horrified by her reaction. Not that she was sickened by his seemingly perverted manner, but that she had wanted to jump on him and scream 'take me now!'.

Never before had she felt like that about anyone. She didn't even like Sirius in that way.

_I guess you do_

A small voice in her head spoke up. She growled at her stupid behaviour and threw one of her shoes across the room. There was a tentative knock on her door and she stood up, straightened herself up and went to answer it. The smile she had plastered on her face faded as the man of her current nightmares was stood on the other side.

"Hermione," he said, rather shortly. "You left your book."

"Thanks," she took it off him. He hesitated, as if to say something, before shaking his head and walking off. "Wait, Sirius!"

She ran up to him.

"I'm sorry about what happened in the library," She rushed. "I don't know what I was thinking. I'm just fed up with everyone else getting it on in this household and I'm left thinking that's all everyone wants to do."

"Everyone's getting it on?" Sirius asked with incredulity. "Who?"

"Well, you've got the couples in the Order, the Twins and whoever they can get in their bed, Ginny's been sending dirty love letters to her latest fling, Ron keeps masturbating and Harry, well, Harry's a lost cause. He's still mooning over Cho."

"Hm, I see what you mean," Sirius nodded. "Well, Hermione, you're in the same boat as me then."

"Ha, the Gryffindor Bad Boy and ex-con unable to get anyone?" Hermione snorted. "That's impossible.

"No, it's not," Sirius answered, slightly irritated by her tactlessness. "You forget that I'm a wanted man. I can't exactly waltz out of the house looking for a one night stand."

"Oh."

"Yes, oh," Sirius ran a hand through his hair, an unconscious habit that Hermione was beginning to notice. "And no one in this household would want to sleep with me. Besides, the woman in the order are either my relations or really old."

Hermione let a giggle escaped from her lips before covering her mouth with her hand.

"Why don't you just look for someone younger?" Hermione blurted.

"Are you offering?" Sirius took a step closer to her.

Hermione's tongue slipped out to wet her suddenly dry lips and she visibly gulped at the proximity.

"Do you want to?" She asked, her voice quiet and timid.

"Only if you do."

Without knowing how it happened, Hermione was kissing Sirius. His lips moved soundlessly against hers, and she kissed back, putting as much passion in that chaste kiss as she could. His mouth gently opened hers beneath him and his tongue darted into her mouth, tasting her. She wasn't entirely sure what to do, her experience in kisses was from the kiss-on-the-cheek she gave her family and friends, and this was completely different.

"Hermione," Sirius broke off the kiss and stared intently into her eyes. "Have you ever kissed anyone before?"

She shook her head, tears of embarrassment and frustration forming. When one fell, Sirius kissed it away.

"Calm, sweetheart," Sirius took her by the hand and led her back to her room, shutting the door behind her and warding it. "Come, sit with me."

He patted the bed next to him and she sat down, her tears starting to fall freely now.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I'm sixteen and that was my first kiss," Hermione sobbed. "Am I that unattractive?"

"I think you're beautiful."

"Do you mean that?" Hermione stopped crying to stare at him with glistening eyes.

"Why don't you let me show you?" Sirius pulled her close and kissed her with more passion and more fire than before.

The kiss was all consuming, and, once Sirius had settled into a rhythm, easy to pick up. She didn't even realise when Sirius' hand began to travel downwards and cupped her breast through her top. She pulled back and he instantly removed his hand, but she reached down, grabbed the material of her top with both hands and yanked it off, tossing it over her shoulder. When he stared at her in amazement, she reached behind her and disposed of her simple white bra in a similar fashion, before taking hold of his hand and putting it firmly back on her breast.

"Better?" She smirked.

"A lot," he breathed, gently moulding and shaping the bare breast.

As he went to take her mouth again, she took hold of her shirt and ripped it open, the buttons flying everywhere in her haste to touch the planes of his stomach.

"You owe me a new shirt," Sirius growled, roughly claiming her mouth.

He pushed her onto her back and began attacking her neck and collarbone with the same ferocity he had just shown her mouth. When he nipped a particularly sensitive part, she moaned and arched her back, her breasts pushing against his chest,

Slowly, tantalisingly, he kissed his way down to those perfectly formed breasts of hers that kept teasing him and when he latched onto one of her hardened nipples she sighed in pleasure. He began to kiss, nip and suck upon that nipple, before switching to the other and giving that the same amount of attention. Finally he left a searing hot trail down to the top of her jeans, and she lifted her hips to help him pulled the now offending garment off. What she wasn't expecting was for her innocent white panties to go at the same time.

She gasped and when his hand touched her inner thigh she squeezed her legs together.

"Hermione, it's me, you can trust me," Sirius soothed.

Eventually she understood him and opened her legs to him. He put his hand gently back on her inner thigh and rubbed the sensitised skin there and when he felt she was ready, he edged closer to her hot core. When he touched her for the first time she instantly relaxed, enjoying the sensation as he separated her nether lips and touched her aching clit.

However, when he leaned forward and gently suckled on her with his mouth, she let out a shriek of approval, so loud that he feared it would break through his wards. Whilst she was distracted he slipped a finger inside her.

"Oh, Sirius," she groaned.

He allowed her to adjust to the intrusion, all the while continuing his ministrations with his mouth. He started to move the finger in and out of her, until he added a second finger and whilst he was inside her he began to stretch her. Her eyes fluttered closed as he continued to build up towards her release, but just when she was at the point when she was crying out his name, he removed his fingers and his mouth and positioned himself against her. Hermione felt him pressed against her and her eyes flew open in shock.

"I'm sorry," Sirius shook his head. "It's going to hurt."

"I know," Hermione could barely whisper.

He felt a pang in his heart for the young woman underneath him, but before he could let her back out, he entered her in a quick thrust, breaking straight through the barrier that protected her innocence. She cried out and grabbed hold of him tightly, her nails digging into his back as the pain overwhelmed her for a moment.

"Shit, that fucking hurt," Hermione half-giggled, half-cried.

"I warned you," Sirius said, bending his head down to kiss her. She accepted his kiss willingly and when she shifted her hips he groaned and took that as the sign to go ahead, as he pulled out almost all the way before pushing back in. She moaned into his lips as he repeated his movements, the pace agonisingly slow for him, but he wanted to make sure she was okay.

"Please...faster..."

The words he had been waiting for dropped from her lips in between her heavy gasps of breath and he moved much faster, the feeling of being inside her hot, tight sheath urged him to reach completion, but he held back his own pleasure for the sake of hers.

"Sirius...please..."

He reached between them and began to tease her bud of nerves relentlessly as he hit the right spot inside her and she loudly told him so with her begging. Again and again he hit that spot and when he felt she was near he buried himself deep within her and flicked her nub with his thumb and she exploded in his hands, screaming his name.

The feeling of her walls contracting around him was too much as he thrust once more and spilt his seed deep inside her, her name dripping from his lips. Although he wanted to stay in her, he thought it would be easier if he removed himself now rather than later so he reluctantly pulled out and kissed her softly.

"That was amazing," She sighed, opening her eyes and looking at him.

"I know," Sirius laid down beside her. "I've never felt anything like that."

"Are you just saying that because it's me?" Hermione propped herself up on her elbow.

"No, I swear," he touched the side of her face lovingly. "Everything about that was nothing I'd ever felt before. You are perfect."

Hermione blushed and hid her face.

"Never hide from me," Sirius lifted her head with the hand that had been touching her cheek. "You never have to. You are beautiful, I promise, and I thought that was just going to be meaningless but it wasn't."

"Would you like to do this again?" The uncertainty was in her voice once more.

"Definitely," Sirius pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. "I would love to do this again."


	2. Chapter 2

Okay! I'm back again...

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That was how their affair began. Of course, as much as she begged him, he wouldn't allow her to tell anyone. After all, he reasoned, why would anyone want to stick by her if they found out she was dating a man not only twenty years her senior, but her best friend's ex-con godfather.

So they would snatch stolen moments in the corner, and would whisper sweet nothings to each other whenever possible. For Easter, Hermione pretended that she was returning to her parents, but instead she secretly went to Sirius's, hiding from the order whenever they came around by staying in Sirius's bedroom.

On Easter Sunday, the house was empty save for the two of them, and he treated her to strawberries with cream and melted chocolate (although admittedly most of the cream and chocolate went on each other's bodies but so not to waste it, they alternated between the strawberries and their tongues to get the sweet-tasting substances).

It was wearing late into the night and they were sat snuggled up on the loveseat in the library, where it all began, with Hermione leaning comfortably against Sirius.

"I have something for you," Sirius said suddenly.

Hermione sat up as she turned to face him.

"What is it?"

"Close your eyes."

Hermione complied, and when she was told to open them she was greeted by Sirius in front of her, down on one knee, an open velvet box with a silver ring encrusted with two small opals which flanked a diamond in the middle.

"Hermione Jean Granger, will you do me the pleasure of being my wife?"

"Oh my God, absolutely!" Hermione squealed.

Sirius's expression went from shocked to gloriously happy as he slid the ring onto the third finger of her left hand, admiring the way it settled itself against her creamy white skin.

"It's perfect," Hermione gushed.

"I thought it was very you, simple and elegant, and I know you prefer silver," Sirius kissed her hand. "I went through my family's jewellery until I found one that I thought was perfect. It's my great-grandmother's engagement ring."

Hermione couldn't speak any more for the happiness that filled her up and finally spilled out of her as she proved to Sirius just how awe-struck and joyful she was right on that library floor.

All too soon she had to go back to Hogwarts, with tales of her holiday taken from previous times, not that any one paid enough attention to her holiday stories to notice the mismatch. The ring was on a necklace that was securely around her neck, the chain purposefully long enough so that the ring was positioned exactly over her heart.

Sirius had promised her that they would tell everyone in the summer holidays, and they had spent hours planning a party that would be revealed as an engagement party once everyone was there. They were hoping that the euphoria of the party and alcohol would permit them to accept their relation, but at the end of the day it didn't matter. They were to be married and nothing was going to stop them.

Time suddenly flew by, the OWLs sped past without a second's notice, and Hermione panicked over the numerous questions she was sure she had got wrong. The DA had ended for the year, and time was winding down to the end of the year. The teachers weren't daring to teach them anything new, and the only class they had to work in was Snape's, as he ordered them to complete ten potions over the final two weeks of class. If any one else in the class had been paying attention, they would have realised that three of the potions needed ten days to fully mature and done those first, but judging from the colours of the potions, Hermione decided that the rest of the class were idiots.

It was early in the morning that Hermione was woken by a snowy white owl trapping its beak against the window beside her bed. She climbed out of bed and let the bird in.

"Hedwig," she whispered as the owl landed on her bedside cabinet and held its leg out.

Hermione took the parchment and unravelled it, her heart stopping as she read the words.

_Hermione,_

_You need to get down here now. Harry's freaking out because he's had this vision of Sirius being tortured or something and we need to go to the Ministry of Magic. Get down to the common room now!_

_Ron_

Hermione took a moment to pull on a pair of jeans, a red cardigan and a pair of trainers but in record time she was in the common room, confronting Harry about his vision.

"Voldemort was hurting him in Department of Mysteries. He was torturing him, Hermione!" Harry stood up and led them out of the portrait.

"Wait, guys!" Ginny's voice stopped them dead in their tracks and they turned to see her and Neville running towards them.

"Luna's meeting us in the Great Hall," Neville informed them. "I just signalled her using the coin."

"Right, we need to get going," Ron said.

"How are we going to get there?" Hermione asked as they carried on their way.

"Brooms," Harry said straight away.

"I don't think so," Hermione snapped. "Can you see me, Neville or Luna on a broom to London?"

"Thestrals," Luna's voice interrupted their argument as they reached the Great Hall.

Hermione remembered the meat from Hagrid's hand been ripped out of it by an invisible force and shuddered. Still, Luna led the way past Hagrid's hut and into the first clearing of the Forbidden Forest, where she cooed softly at empty air.

"Harry, are you sure this is happening?" Hermione asked him, grasping desperately at straws. "You know that he knows about this connection between you, are you sure he's not just trying to lure you there? He did the same with Ginny in our second year."

"I'm not going to stay here and let him die!" Harry roared.

Tears filled Hermione's eyes but she turned away and blinked a few times until the moisture had gone. When she turned back, Harry and Luna were helping people onto the Thestrals, and then they turned to her. She allowed them to help her up, but she felt a bit odd, as if she were sat on air. When they were all on the Thestrals, they kicked off, Harry in lead, followed by Neville and Ginny side by side, then Hermione and Ron were next to each other behind them and Luna was bringing up the rear.

Hermione felt strange, flying to London in the middle of a June night, looking like she was flying on air. That wasn't exactly at the forefront of her mind though. Her heart was going pitter-patter at the thought of Sirius being tortured.

"We're almost there!" Harry's voice came back on the wind.

Hermione braced herself as they began the descent. Once they had descended they left the Thestrals grazing in a park (on the theory that no one would be able to see them) and all piled into a phone box, where Harry dialled the number for the Ministry of Magic. She was handed a badge which she pinned on her cardigan.

Her stomach went through the ceiling as the floor dropped beneath them and they ended up in the Ministry. Harry lead the way, sprinting through the empty halls before and after the lift until he burst through a door.

"What the fuck?"

They were in a circular room with about ten doors leading off it.

"Split up, take a door each!" Hermione ordered.

"We're looking for a room with a load of crystal balls!"

Hermione flung open the door she had jumped to and found herself in a room with a tank full of what looked like little babies. She retched and slammed the door, turning around to see almost everyone else in the same position as her. Harry, on the other hand, was staring transfixed into an endless dark hall, with high ceilings. Small balls glowed ominously in the darkness, lighting the way.

"Come on!" Harry shouted and ran into the room. Everyone ran after him, Hermione pushing to his side even though she was at the back. Suddenly Harry came to a stop, his wand lighting the floor.

"He should be here," Harry said urgently. "He must be here."

Hermione breathed in deeply and closed her eyes. From all the time she had spent with Sirius, she had become sensitised to his sense and his smell - there was none here.

"He's not here, Harry," Hermione could barely keep the joy out of her voice.

"Mr Potter, at last," a familiar sneer radiated in the room.

They all jumped and turned around, pulling their wands out to face two Death Eaters that appeared to be smirked through their masks.

"Lucius Malfoy, I presume," Hermione stepped forward.

"Indeed, you filthy little mud blood," he raised his wand and the mask vanished.

"Where is he? Where's Sirius?" Harry stormed forward but Hermione flung out her arm, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"When are you going to distinguish between dreams and reality?" Malfoy asked.

"Itty, bitty baby," A cackle erupted from behind Malfoy. "Scared of a little dream, are we?"

"Bellatrix Lestrange," Neville's voice was shaken.

"Longbottom, is it?" She questioned. "How's mum and dad?"

Neville held back a cry as he remained where he was. The room flashed once, revealing a score of Death Eaters on every side. The six of them formed a circle, Harry and Hermione facing the two worst Death Eaters.

"Avada Kedavra,," The spell cast by Malfoy shot straight at Hermione.

She deflected it, and the battle began. She fought alongside Harry, casting vicious spells learnt from the DA. They never split from their circle, but the Death Eaters came closer and closer.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Stupefy!"

A path was cleared for them and they took it, running desperately away from their attackers. As they ran past a shelf, Harry skidded to a halt, reached up and took one of the crystal balls.

"It's got my name on it," he said, stunned.

They didn't have time to speak as the whispers of the wind that picked up informed them that the Death Eaters were still on their path. Ginny, her hair flying loose around her hair, stepped in front of the five of them and raised her wand.

"Reducto!"

The curse issued a force of wind that pushed away from her, building up a high pitched squeal. They all waited and the crashing of the crystal balls as they fell to the ground told them that it was coming back. The shelves holding the balls started to topple, causing a domino effect.

"Run!" Hermione shouted.

Thankfully they took her advice, running down the corridor until they came to a door. They piled through it, not paying attention to what was in it and then fell several metres until they hovered above the floor, as if suspended by a magnetic force. The force disappeared and they landed on the floor with a thud.

Instantly Bellatrix's manic laugh filled the room as the Death Eaters flew around, snatching them away from each other. Hermione felt a tug about her waist and she was hauled away, her struggles futile as her feet touched the ground and she held a wand held to her throat.

"Mudblood...hm...I want to hurt you...see if your blood really is as filthy as your name..."

"Let me guess," Hermione pondered for a second. "You're a twin, serious parental issues, grew up without knowing your parents really because they were always out. From the state of your robes I'd say you live in a hovel and you're not rich. Probably disinherited when you joined Voldemort."

"Enough!" The wand pushed into her neck.

"Am I right?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out," He hissed in her ear.

Her attention was captured by Harry and Malfoy. Harry was holding the crystal ball in his hand, and Malfoy was urging him to hand it over.

"Don't give it to him, Harry!" Neville called out, only to flinched when the tip of Bellatrix's wand burned a perfect circle in his neck.

Harry seemed to hesitate, before his eyes met with Hermione's. She shook her head but he smiled sadly and gave it to him. Malfoy wrapped it up and held it delicately in his hand.

"Woohoo!"

A cheer from above made them all look up. About ten figures were circling above and they all shot spells at the Death Eaters. When her Death Eater removed his wand to deflect, Hermione stamped solidly on his insole and then turned around, kicking him hard in the groin.

"That's my girl," Sirius whispered in her ear as he shot past.

Hermione smiled at his fleeting figure before extracting the wand from the Death Eater's hand and binding him. She jumped into the fight, helping Ginny get away from Avery, before turning her sights on Bellatrix Lestrange, who was happily flinging unforgivable curses at Neville, who was dodging them.

"Bitch!" Hermione spat as she joined the fight, casting a disarming spell at her which she neatly dodged.

"Says you," Bellatrix laughed.

They duelled, the match even. Suddenly a spell from one of the other Death Eaters ricocheted off the walls and hit Hermione square. She fell to the floor, her legs unable to move as Bellatrix bore over her. Hermione raised her wand weakly but the evil witch kicked it out of her hand.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Her entire world flashed green, and she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for death to take her. But it never did. She opened her eyes to see Sirius above her, standing still. He took a step to the side, and the mysterious arch that she hadn't noticed before reached out long arms and took him into its grasp, cradling him like a lover.

As he disappeared into the veil, Hermione screamed his name.

Her voice wasn't the only one that echoed off the cold, stone walls. Lupin was having to physically restrain Harry to stop him from running straight into the veil after him. Above her, Bellatrix cackled and disappeared through a door, which Harry swiftly followed through once he had managed to escape the earnest grasp of the werewolf.

All around them, the Death Eaters howled as their dark marks burned red hot and they all shot upwards, gliding through the doors to escape. Moody was beside her, casting the counter curse allowing her to climb to her feet. She picked up her wand and went up to the veil, being careful to stand just out of reach of its searching arms.

"Hermione, we have to go," Ginny urged her.

Hermione closed her eyes and heard numerous voices floating mysteriously around the veil. She shifted through all of those unfamiliar voices until she found the one she was searching for.

_Go...go...I love you, Hermione...go and love..._

She gasped, a dagger in her heart. Her hand flew up to her chest, pushing against the pain that formed deep inside.

"Hermione!" Lupin came up to her. "Come on, please. It's not your fault."

She allowed him to lead her away, but all the while her heart begged her to go back and join him. She joined the rest of the group, who looked decidedly worn and disheartened. Dumbledore had appeared at some point and it was him now that assumed command of the situation.

"We have a portkey that will take you back to Hogwarts," he said, his twinkle diminished. "I will be taking Harry by Side-Along-Apparation."

He held out an old football and Lupin took it. Four students grabbed hold, along with Lupin, Tonks and Moody. Hermione only just managed to get her finger onto the dirty thing in time and she felt the tug beneath her navel as the ground disappeared.

When her feet touched the ground she dropped the football and walked away from the group, clutching her sides in a desperate attempt to keep herself together.

"Leave her," she heard Lupin's voice stop Ginny.

Hermione let her feet lead her, her vision blurred as she fought back tears. When she finally collapsed she was sat on the ground underneath the oak tree on the small hill overlooking the lake. She left herself be completely consumed by the pain that pulsated at her heart and travelled all around her body. Every limb was numb for a moment, only to be stabbed back into life with something that felt like pins and needles, only more painful and all-consuming.

"You fucking left me," she gasped out.

Her tears fell onto her cardigan and was completely soaked in a matter of minutes. Not that she noticed. Her heart felt as though it had been ripped out of her chest, and her brain was only registering the pain that went with it.

"Come on, get it together," she whispered to herself.

Just when she thought she was recovering she remembered that it was only two weeks until they were going to announce their engagement. Suddenly she was sobbing again, collapsing on the floor, sapped of energy.

She cried until she could cry no more. When she lifted her aching head off the ground she wiped her eyes and looked out over the lake.

The first rays of sun were streaking the lake, letting it glitter in the morning light. The sky was slowly changing from midnight blue to baby blue.

Hermione smiled at the sun, not noticing the single tear that slid down her cheek.


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: just to let you know that this is the final chapter - I haven't updated this earlier because I have had no internet connection for so long :( anyway, I hope it was worth the wait :) please review ^^_

* * *

Hermione smoothed down her black trousers and gave a quick tug on her pale yellow blouse to make sure it was sitting right. She heaved a sigh and ignored the adoring looks she was receiving from the other people in the lift.

Almost three years had past since that day when her entire world had fallen on its head. After spending two months moping around, she had conceived a plan and was determined to follow it through. However, the reason she was so late getting it started was because of spending her seventh year traipsing around the English countryside, finding Horcruxes so Voldemort could be destroyed.

Of course, he had been. The Battle of Hogwarts, it was being called, and that was the source of the never ending looks she was getting.

"Hermione," A man with blond hair, a first class suit and a winning smile greeted her. "Would you like to have dinner sometime?"

"No, thanks," Hermione replied without looking at him.

"Er..I don't think you know who I am," The man scoffed. "I'm Alastor Platt."

"Platt? Are you related to the famous Yadley Platt?" Hermione asked him.

"Yes," the man seemed relieved. "So I'll pick you up at eight?"

"I'm sorry, but Yadley Platt is famous for killing goblins, and you should know how set I am on equal rights for all species," Hermione said.

At that moment the lift door pinged open and she stepped out, the doors closing on Alastor Platt's shocked face. She walked along the corridor until she came to a door with no sign on it, and she knocked on it, three short, two long and two short. The door swung open and she entered, paying no attention to the fact that the door slammed shut behind her.

"Miss Granger, I presume," A man gestured to the seat and folded his hands.

"Indeed," Hermione took the seat.

"I understand you passed our first two tests," he said.

"First two tests?"

"The old woman who wanted help over the road," he explained. "She was a young pickpocket in disguise, but you saw that and booked her. And then the man in the elevator? We wanted to make sure you would stick by your values."

Hermione allowed herself a brief smile before he continued.

"Why do you want this job?"

"I want to be able to see all the secrets about this world. Ever since I received my Hogwarts letter when I was eleven I..."

"Okay, obviously rehearsed," he dismissed it. "Let me ask you another question. Why did you go on the trip with Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley?"

"Oh, er," Hermione hesitated. "I have a maternal instinct for them and I knew that they wouldn't be safe by themselves. If I had stayed behind like I was asked I would have torn my hair out from worry. I love them, you know? They're my family. I couldn't stand if I were to lose another loved one."

"Okay, you've got the job."

"I'm sorry?" Hermione was startled.

"I said, you have the job," the man resumed looking through the papers ordered neatly on his desk. "Be here tomorrow at 0800 hours promptly. I will assign someone to take you. Goodbye, Miss Granger."

Hermione stood, startled.

"Wear a navy skirt and a white shirt, that's the uniform for the new Unspeakables."

Hermione nodded and left.

The next day Alastor Platt, dressed in his blue robes, greeted Hermione outside the office of the head Unspeakable, and handed her the blue robes, which she pulled on over the skirt and shirt she had been instructed to wear. He then took her in the lift, going all the way down to the black door that Hermione frequently saw in her nightmares. She tried not to visibly flinch as he held it open for her.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

"Of course, I'm fine, Mr Platt."

"Please, call me Alastor," he grinned his dazzling smile. "You are my subordinate, after all."

"Certainly, Alastor," Hermione smiled back.

Hermione followed him around whilst he explained what she'd be doing, listening intently, determined to do a good job. He left her in the room that recognised from the last time, the one that contained little babies in a tank of water.

Although she was itching to go and examine the veil, to try to hear her love's voice again, she restrained herself and picked up the manual to the room (Alastor had informed her that each room had a manual, but only Unspeakables could see them). It didn't take her long to read the one hundred pages, and soon she was up to her elbows in gunk from the tank as she tried to fish out the right baby to clean and deposit in the tube that led to the magical testing department. As she laid the baby on the tube and let it disappear into the blackness, she tried not to imagine what the baby was going to be used for.

Every so often she would receive orders with her device which was much like a muggle pager, but the instructions issued from it in a terrifying, rough voice that she didn't want to disobey.

"Hermione, you can go now," Alastor said, after Hermione had been working for seven hours.

"Thank you," Hermione stood up, offering her hand for Alastor to shake, but when she realised the slime on it she held it back, letting out a nervous giggle.

"Maybe another time," Alastor laughed along with her.

Hermione offered a small smile as she left. She apparated to Grimmauld Place, where Harry had allowed her to stay (her pretence was that it was close to the Ministry of Magic and she didn't have enough money to buy her own house just yet). She hurried upstairs, stripping off her clothes as she did so and stepped under the warm spray of water, allowing it to wash away all the mess from the day.

When she was clean she dried her hair, getting dressed into a pair of shorts and a white tank top, her bedclothes, and went back downstairs to get something to eat. She picked up her clothes along the way and went into the kitchen.

"Oh shit!" She gasped and dropped her clothes.

"Hey, Hermione," Harry greeted her.

"How long have you been here?" Hermione asked.

"Since about ten minutes before you got in," Harry said. Hermione went bright red. "Don't worry, I looked away when you started stripping."

"Why are you here?" Hermione picked up her clothes and piled them into the washing machine that she had installed.

"Do you mind if I stay here a few days?" Harry asked.

"It's your house."

"But it's polite to ask."

"Only if you tell me why."

"Ginny's pregnant."

"Why is that bad?" Hermione stopped putting pasta into the pot and turned to look at him.

"Because she's not sure if it's mine," Harry looked down at the ground.

When he looked back up there were tears in his eyes.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione reached over to him and hugged him closely, trying to comfort him with her grasp. His body shook within her arms.

"Michael Corner is who she cheated with," Harry wiped away his tears.

"Her ex from Hogwarts?" Hermione pulled back.

"Yeah, she met him at work," Harry said.

"You can stay here for as long as you want," Hermione said. "Do you want something to eat?"

"No, thanks."

Hermione turned back to her pasta and set it to boil whilst she poured in mince and sauce into another pot and started cooking. When she finished she put the pasta onto two plates and poured the sauce onto it.

"Spaghetti Bolognese," Hermione said, putting one of the plates down in front of Harry with a flourish.

Harry looked at it and then up at Hermione.

"My cooking's got better, I promise," Hermione assured.

He lifted up a fork and put a small amount on it, before tasting it. His face lit up and he began to shovel the food into his mouth. Hermione dug into her own dinner, watching as Harry devoured the meal.

"You're an amazing cook," Harry said astonished.

"Well, after all that disastrous food when we were searching for Horcruxes I decided to learn how to cook properly," Hermione said.

She reached up into one of the cupboards and found a selection of bottles and two glasses. She sat down next to Harry and poured him a glassful of whiskey.

"Drink it," she said, to Harry's doubtful face.

He picked it up and took a sip, his face grimacing at the taste. Hermione poured herself a shot and downed it straight.

Two hours later Harry was slaughtered. Once he had discovered he quite enjoyed the taste of whiskey, he had proceeded to drink the entire bottle, leaving Hermione on vodka. Needless-to-say, they were both drunk, but Harry was far worse.

"You are sssshooo beautiful...amashing," Harry said to Hermione, who laughed at him.

"God, Harry, I think you've have a bit too much," Hermione helped him to stand up. "Time for bed."

She struggled with him up the stairs. Luckily, the bedroom that Harry always used was only on the first floor, so Hermione had managed to put him on his bed and remove his shoes without being too worn out. Harry stared up at her with glazed eyes.

"Ssshhe cheated on me, you ssssee," Harry slurred.

"I know, Harry," Hermione soothed, leaning over him to sort out his pillow.

All of a sudden Harry grabbed the back of her head with surprising strength and tried to kiss her. Hermione twisted her head to the side so he only got her cheek.

"Harry, you don't want to do this," Hermione said gently, breaking his grasp.

"No, I really do," Harry said.

Hermione stood up and left the room, slamming the door behind her. She slumped against the wall outside and threw her head back with a thump. Tears formed, but she forced them back.

For the first time since she had lost Sirius, she found herself in his room, curling up on the bed they had shared many beautiful times and hugged his pillow close, breathing in deep the smell of him that still lingered there.

For the next four months Hermione repeated the same routine. She would wake up early and get ready for work, only to return home to Harry. They would drink together and he would get so drunk he either couldn't walk and required her assistance to get to bed, or he would pass out at the kitchen table and she would levitate him to bed.

"Normally we don't do this but because you've been working so hard we've decided to promote you," Alastor interrupted her flow of work one day to say.

"You're kidding!" Hermione gasped.

"Nope, definitely not," he said. "It's now blue skirt and a yellow shirt."

"But isn't that your level?"

"Yep, you've been promoted all the way up," Alastor grinned. "You work hard, Hermione, and you've never afraid to put in overtime so I talked to the head Unspeakable and he promoted you sky high. You're second in ranks under the head himself."

A huge smile spread across Hermione's face and she hugged Alastor, much to his shock, and did a little jig in celebration.

"Nice style, Hermione," Alastor said. "How would you like to go for dinner sometime?"

Hermione stopped dead and looked at him. Alastor had become a good friend indeed over the last few months, dispersing the first image she had gained from him in the lift that first day (it was just an act, he had gleefully informed her). But she couldn't help but feel it would mean something different to him then it would mean to her. She had seen him staring at her several times with a wistful look in his eye, but she couldn't bring herself to date any one else. Her heart belonged to Sirius.

"I'm sorry, but I have plans tonight," Hermione lied.

"Oh," Alastor was disheartened.

"Yeah, I have to patch up my friend's marriage," Hermione sighed. "It's a nightmare but they love each other really. They just need someone to tell them that."

"Maybe some other day then?" Alastor said, hope in his voice.

"Yes," Hermione agreed, then bit her lip. She didn't want to seem like she was agreeing to date him. "Does this now mean I can go in any room?"

"Was there one you were interested in?"

"Well, when I was here about three years ago I was in stone room with this veil thing in the middle. I was really fascinated by it and would love to study it," Hermione said.

"Oh, I know that room," Alastor smiled again. "That veil is fascinating. I'll take you there tomorrow."

The next day Hermione woke up a full hour before her alarm was set to go off, and she was ready to go way before she should have been. Harry walked into the kitchen with a stagger, bleary eyed after the previous night's drinking, and groaned at the sun light that filtered through the window. He reached blindly for the coffee machine and poured himself some before bringing the mug to his lips with trembling hands and had a huge gulp from it.

"Come here," Hermione said to him, watching him wince at the sound of her voice.

He shuffled over to her and she poured some Hangover Potion into his coffee.

"That's better," Harry said, perked up after drinking the magical cure.

"You need to stop this," Hermione said.

"Stop what? The drinking? Easy."

"No, you fucking idiot!" Hermione shouted, standing up to face him. "You're moping around here because Ginny fucking cheated on you. Whop-de-whop! As least she's still there and at least she still loves you. You should go and make up with her rather than wallowing in self-pity, because that never did anyone any good, did it?"

Harry stared at her stunned. She groaned in frustration and apparated to the Ministry with a loud crack. It was when she was all the way down in the bowels of the Ministry, walking along the corridor that the tears began to take over, big sobbing tears that racked her body. She leaned against the wall and slid down the curve.

"Granger?"

She blinked through her tears and looked up, only to see platinum blond hair bobbing above her.

"Oh, fucking fantastic," She sighed. "Just the person I wanted to see."

"Do I detect a hint of sarcasm there?" Draco Malfoy held out a hand. "Look, I'm not going to bite. I'm just offering to help you up."

Hermione hesitantly took the hand and allowed him to heave her up. She adjusted her clothes and dabbed her eyes before taking on a hardy expression.

"Why are you down here?" He asked.

"I work here," Hermione snapped.

"Look, I'm sorry about everything that's happened between us, okay? I'm trying to be nice and find out why you're in a corridor crying as if your entire family have died. I'm not about to curse you."

"Fine, I'm crying because I had an argument with Harry and it looks like I won't have a place to stay any more," Hermione said. "Happy?"

"Not particularly," He said. "Why won't you have a place to stay?"

"Because I'm staying at Harry's house," Hermione explained.

"Why don't you buy your own place?"

"Not all of us have money, Malfoy," Hermione bit.

"Sorry, I assumed..."

"That's right, you assumed," Hermione half-laughed in her anger. "You assumed that because I was crying I would be willing to talk to you. You assumed that I would be willing to put all the crap I suffered from you behind me? You assumed wrong!"

"Is everything okay here?" Alastor appeared.

"Yeah, it's fine, thanks," Hermione said. "Malfoy's just leaving."

Malfoy looked at her with stormy grey eyes before nodding curtly to Alastor and walking back to the lift. Alastor stood by Hermione's side, not taking his eyes off the man until the lift doors had pinged shut.

"What did he want?" Alastor asked, putting a comforting arm around her.

"To see how I was," Hermione replied. "It's just too much history between us makes it awkward."

"You dated him?"

"No, I hated him," Hermione laughed. "That's Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Prince. He's the one that started calling me mudblood and made my life a living hell when I was at school."

"That's Draco Malfoy?" Alastor gaped. "He's so young!"

"He's the same age I am," Hermione retorted, stung slightly by his comment.

"Yeah, but you seem..." he appeared to struggle for the right word.

"Mature?" Hermione filled in.

Alastor nodded, clearly pleased that she had said it. Hermione smiled and Alastor finally remembered why he had gone to see her. He took her through the door to the Department of Mysteries and went straight through the door in front of him. When he was through that door he took the first door on the left and Hermione found herself in a room that she remembered clearly. The arch was filled with a purple haze, much like cytoplasm, and she was drawn to it.

"What is that?" She asked in wonder.

"What? It's just an arch," Alastor shrugged.

Hermione stared at him, wondering just how he couldn't see the purple stuff that swam in the arch and hear the whisper of voices that filled the room.

"Look, I'm going to leave you to it," Alastor said. "This room gives me the creeps."

"Yeah, sure," Hermione said distracted.

She was barely aware of Alastor leaving as she moved slowly, trancelike, towards the arch. The whispers seemed to invade her minds and coax her near. It was impossible for her to break away from it as she got closer and closer, the arms straining to grasp her.

_Stop_

A single word made her hesitate, but the voices kept her moving.

_Hermione, stop, please._

His voice invaded her mind, making her heart stutter and tears suddenly fill her eyes. She sank to her knees, his voice echoing around her mind so much so that she couldn't breathe - he was there, still, and he was talking to her.

Every day for a year she went back to that room, putting in more than twelve hours a day studying the manual, desperate to discover something that would give her a clue. During her compulsory two week holiday she dedicated every waking moment to researching obscure texts. She spent so much time dedicated to her work that she didn't even realised that Ginny had given birth to a little boy who looked identical to Harry. It wasn't until she was out on for her cousin's birthday that she had a break-through.

"Hermione, it's so nice to see you again," Her cousin, Annie, greeted her.

"And you. I can't believe you've got kids!" Hermione gasped, looking at the twins who were toddling playfully around. "They're so gorgeous."

"I know, they're just amazing," Annie looked at them, her eyes shining. "So when are you going to settle down? You're twenty now and you've never had a boyfriend. Don't you think you should try to date?"

"I have had a boyfriend," Hermione whispered, her voice dropping low.

"Oh, what's his name?" Annie asked, her interest spiked.

"Sirius," Hermione forced the name out. "I loved him, you know. We were supposed to be married and everything."

"What happened? Cold feet?" Annie asked.

"No, he, er..., he died," Hermione choked.

"Oh, I am so sorry," Annie brought her hands to her face, her expression horrified. "I didn't mean to push."

"It's fine," Hermione swallowed hard. "It's just difficult to move on."

"I have something for you," Annie took her upstairs into her husband's study. "Do you remember when we were little and you would pretend you were a witch?"

Hermione nodded, concern flitting across her mind. Even when she was little she dreamt of being a witch, not knowing that she really was. Only her parents knew the truth about her, the rest of her family believed Hermione had been across the country attending a prestigious school.

"Well, I found something," Annie scanned the shelves and pulled out a book, giving it to Hermione.

Hermione looked down at the golden letters on the jet black background. _Wicca: the window to another world. _She ran her fingers over the raised lettering and looked questioningly at Annie.

"My friend likes it," Annie seemed to struggle for the right words. "She recommended it to me, said that it's magic. Apparently you can perform spells that work."

"Imagine that," Hermione said softly, her mind distracted.

* * *

"Hermione!" Harry's voice called up the stairs.

Hermione lifted her heavy head from the scattering of papers on the desk and blinked open her eyes as Harry burst into the room. He took in the state of her and sighed, walking over to give her a helping hand to the kitchen, where he deposited her on a chair and busied himself brewing coffee.

"You need to sort yourself out," Harry said as he placed the cup in front of her.

Hermione took a sip of the vile tasting drink and grimaced.

"I'm fine, Harry," She went to get up.

"No, you're clearly not," he pushed her gently back down. "Look at you, you don't eat any more and you're definitely not sleeping. You work too hard."

"You can never work too hard," Hermione snapped.

"Oh really?" Harry sighed. "Hermione, you've lost weight. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, you look great actually, but it's getting a little too much. You look like you're dead on your feet."

Hermione sniffed and downed her coffee, her face moulding into a look of displeasure as the caffeine worked itself into her system.

"What's this?" Harry asked, picking up her copy of the Wiccan book. He opened to the pages marked by scraps of paper and read the annotations Hermione had put on them. "Muggle's magic?"

"A side project."

"What's with the notes?" Harry asked.

"Nothing," Hermione made to snatch the book from his hands but he held it just out of her reach.

"Hermione, are you trying to bring Sirius back?"

Hermione looked at him, her eyes steely, until suddenly the life filtered out of them and her shoulders slumped. She nodded.

"How close are you? Do you want help?" Harry asked, excitement barely contained.

"If you give me another week, I'll be able to do it," Hermione croaked.

In the week that followed Harry popped in every day to make sure Hermione was eating properly, but his main priority was to see just how near she was. When the week was up he slammed the door opened and bore down on her with a huge grin on his face.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes," Hermione stood up and stretched, her spell memorised. "We need to go into his bedroom, it's the place where most of his stuff is so his spirit is drawn there."

Harry bounded into Sirius's bedroom, and Hermione was pleased that he didn't notice the crumple bedding that she had forgot to make that morning when she climbed out of bed. Harry followed her directions, sitting on the chaise in the corner whilst Hermione stood in the middle, her wand held in her hand.

"_What was done was done_

_Be it now undone_

_As I enter now this sacred space_

_Return his spirit to its grace"_

She lifted her wand and drew a pentacle in the air, the white from the end of her wand weaving itself into the shape and lingering in the air.

"_Through lessons learnt and lessons passed_

_May his spirit continue to last_

_Within this realm we shall see_

_As he should be _

_His spirit now with us_

_His body is a must_

_Let him come back_

_Let him come back_

_Let him come back"_

Hermione chanted, her voice getting louder and louder until she pointed her wand into the centre of the pentacle and proclaimed at the top of her voice:

"_As I say it, so mote it be!"_

There was a bang, and a white light blinding the two occupants. As suddenly as the light had appeared it had gone, leaving a man standing in its place.

"Sirius," Harry gasped, moving towards him.

Sirius lifted his head and his bright blue eyes twinkled, looking at Harry first, before noticing the suddenly alert witch behind him. Hermione smiled softly at him and he smiled back.

"Hermione," he breathed, stepping around a bemused Harry and standing in front of her.

"I missed you so much," she half-sobbed.

"I'm not leaving again without you," Sirius promised, and to prove it he pulled her close and kissed her lovingly.

When they broke the kiss Hermione began to cry, her sobs racking her entire body. Sirius held her in his arms, his hand stroking her hair soothingly until she gained hold of herself.

"I should've realised," Harry spoke up for the first time, having watched this exchange.

"Harry, I couldn't tell you," Hermione pleaded. "I didn't know how you would take it."

Sirius glared at Harry, as if daring him to say something, but he remained silent.

"I can't believe I have you in my arms again," he whispered to Hermione. "I've wanted this for an eternity. I love you, Hermione."

"I love you, too," she said, her eyes puffy from crying as she looked up at him.

"Where's your ring?" Sirius asked.

Hermione reached inside her shirt with trembling hands and pulled out a long golden chain with the ring dangling from it. Sirius undid the chain and pulled the ring off, before sliding it onto her wedding ring.

"Never leaving you," he repeatedly firmly, before pulling into a more passionate kiss.

Hermione felt her body respond to his heat, her emotions soaring into overdrive as a result of lack of human contact for almost five years. She pressed herself against him, and could feel how much he wanted her as well.

"Look, I know I wanted to see my godfather, but this is way too much for me," Harry flung up his hands before turning on the spot and disappearing.

Hermione barely heard the crack as she throw all she had into the kiss. Her fingers fumbled desperately with his clothes, her skin crying out for contact. He was locked in a struggle with the annoying little buttons on her shirt and eventually he just ripped it open and his hands seemed to dance across her torso as she revealed his toned stomach and then, shortly afterwards, his legs as she rid him of his trousers as well. Hermione went to hike up her skirt but Sirius stopped her.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked as he stepped back and sat down on the bed.

"Take it off," he said huskily.

"Sorry?"

"I said take it off," Sirius repeated, his eyes dark with want. "I want you to take off all your clothes. I haven't seen you for so long and I want to savour the moment."

Hermione looked at him, her cheeks flushed with arousal, her eyes finally shining with love and admiration. No matter how much she yearned to be with him, she knew he had missed her, and so drew out her stripping, slowly removing her skirt and then running her hands all over her body like she had never done before, the clear desire in Sirius's eyes making her abandon all embarrassment.

She undid her bra and let it fall to the floor, before slipping out of her little panties and standing before him in all her glory.

"Are you going to sit there or make love to me?" She asked so simply.

Sirius stood up and kicked off his boxers before pulling her roughly to him, his lips hard on hers. He picked her up and laid her softly on the bed, his fingers touching her breasts and then her stomach, before she begged him to touch her properly. Whilst his mouth latched onto her breasts he eased apart her nether lips with his fingers and touched the aching bud of nerves. She cried out and her hips arched upwards.

"You never went with any one else," Sirius took his mouth away to marvel. "Why?"

"Because it's you, it's only you I want," Hermione said quietly. "I was trying to bring you back and I wasn't willing to do anything else."

Her train of thought was disrupted when he slipped a finger inside her. Sirius began to suck and nip at her neck, remembering all the sensitive places as he worked first one finger, then two inside her. He kissed a burning trail down to his fingers, where he replaced them with his tongue, finally tasting her after so long. The sensation after so long was enough to have Hermione crying out in satisfaction after only a minute.

Sirius lapped at her juices before he climbed atop her, kissing her so she could taste herself. He positioned himself at her entrance and then pushed in. Her eyes fluttered closed and her lips parted.

"Look at me," Sirius ran a hand down her cheek. "I want to remember this moment forever."

Hermione obeyed him, the lids opening over her chocolate brown eyes. He began to move, knowing full well she was ready for him by the way she cried out and begged for more. He couldn't help but obey - he couldn't hold back for much longer, not after so long.

He reached between them and began to work her clit expertly, applying a teasing amount of pressure before flicking it softly.

"Oh...Sirius..."

She screamed his name as she came, and the sensation of her walls tightening around him was too much as he pushed forward and split his seed, kissing her furiously as he did so. He pulled out and laid down beside her, holding her close.

"Tomorrow we tell everyone," Sirius said. "I'm not hiding us any more. I almost lost you once, I'm not going to do it again."

The very next day, along with the shock of Sirius being back and Ron's announcement that Luna was pregnant out of wedlock with his child, the family that surrounded Hermione and Sirius were stunned at their engagement.

"You know, technically, if we hadn't have put hair dye in Ginny's shampoo..." Fred said.

"You two wouldn't be together." George finished.

"Really?" Hermione asked, looking at them both.

She noticed out of the corner of her eye a very pregnant Ginny creeping up behind the twins. Within a second she had chucked something at them and a loud pop filled the room, along with plumes of smoke. The occupants coughed and ushered the smoke out of the window, only to start laughing as soon as the room cleared.

"What's so funny?" Fred and George exclaimed together.

Well, considering that along with having 'Tweedledum' on Fred's forehead and 'Tweedledee' on George's, they were bright purple.


End file.
